What's Next?

Several have asked, "What's next?"

I'm not sure.  I've been so busy recovering.  Or rather, I've been so NOT busy recovering.  I've been sleeping and (at times) eating.  I've watched a lot of trash television (via the net).  I've read magazines.  And I've been sleeping some more.

I developed a horrific toothache very late Saturday night. Seems one of the silver fillings in a back molar exceeded it's utility.  It was older than my daughter and she's a Physician.  You do the math.

I spent two nights in pain with my only relief being the discovery of an old lidocaine patch buried deep under my bathroom sink.  I cut a small square and plastered it on my face and waited.  For a few minutes I wondered if it was too close to the return blood supply to my heart - would I experience arrhythmia?  I could do a little research.  Nah, the pain was too intense. 

Anatomy is my thing. I know the nerve supply to that part of my jaw.  I know the blood supply.  I can give a lecture on the pathophysiology of nerve pain.  Pain trumped vascularity.  I left the patch on.

Obviously, I didn't die and it worked enough to get me through to Monday morning.

I went to work at 7:15 and at 8am Monday morning, I called a dentist's office new to my neighborhood.  The doctor himself answered the phone and said he could see me at 9.  Awesome.  I let my boss know I was leaving the office.  (At this point there was no asking.  Everything was informational.)  By 11:30 I was back in the office.  Although I was sore the remainder of the day,  I woke up this morning feeling worlds of improvement.

I'll have the remainder of the repair done in a couple of weeks. 

I'd read that marathon runners can expect to have an infection or illness immediately after the race.  My bet is that all the ibuprofen I was taking for my heel pain masked the dental problem.  When I backed off the analgesic, the tooth declared itself. 

I'm just happy to have it taken care of.

I'm also happy to report that I ran a little over 3 miles today.  I kept my pace a little quicker than I usually run.  The sun was warm, the air clear, and traffic not too bad.  I finished in 33:18.  (No, I'm not setting any land speed records but I worked up a good sweat.)  I've been feeling so sluggish laying around.  Resting was good.  I've done it.  Now let's move on.

So, anyway.  What's next?  I'm not sure.  I want to keep moving.  Some running friends told me I shouldn't rule out another marathon at this point.  I say bullshit.  I'm not running another marathon. 

I received an email inviting me to register for a limited field half marathon in March.  I'm not even sure about that.  It's right in my neighborhood.  Maybe.  I might. 

I just want to run for the hell of it for awhile.  I want to drop about 10 more pounds. 

And I want to take a vacation.  That's not so far in the future.  Details to follow.






©Michelle Scofield, January 22, 2013 All Rights Reserved